ABSTRACT
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are widely considered one of the most important technologies for the twenty-first century. A WSN typically consists of a large number of low-cost, low-power, and multifunctional sensor nodes that are deployed in a region of interest. WSNs communicate over a short distance via a wireless medium and collaborate to accomplish a common task. The Sensor Query and Tasking Language (SQTL) is a sensor-programming language used to implement middleware in WSNs. The chapter first introduces the wireless sensor networks (WSN) in terms of aspects like characteristics, design challenges, and consequent objectives and application architecture. It then presents sensor data mechanisms and storage. The chapter ends with the description of several data fusion mechanisms. The major purpose of incorporating data fusion into the data-gathering and dissemination process is to reduce the number of packets to be transmitted and, hence, the energy incurred in transmission.
